Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Motocool expert/ motul inugel expert, the first one is prefilled in our bikes, and the other one is recommended in manual, both contain silicates. If you read around forums, these are very obsolete, and silicates are abrasive in nature, and are known to cause waterpump gasket failure.Hence the worry.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

What is the labor cost for 4th service in Hyderabad?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences



Thanks for the inputs , will ask for a detailed breakdown of the accessories provided and will post over here, will ask to exclude the same regardless of what will buy it individually later on if i find it neccesary

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

R15 and Ninja 300 uses the same premixed coolant. I have barely come across any waterpump gasket failure in either of these bikes. A big single under high compression produces a lot of heat,we need to deal with it.

Engine ice has been used by a few owners who have felt barely any difference and its double the cost of Motocool. Moreover, its the water in mixture is responsible for absorbing the heat, not the antifreeze.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

I think the factory filled coolant is the castrol radicool. Remember reading it somewhere.. And I think this is true because KTM doesn't even fill 'motul' engine oils at factory and neither does it use 'motul' chain clean/lube (they recommend oks). This motul recommendations started due to customers' demand and hence the "Motul" recommendations for engine oil and Coolant. Hence i believe what is filled at factory is Castrol which would be obviously cheaper for KTM to use.

Here is an answer from motul itself on the silacates : https://www.facebook.com/motul/posts/10151976072498701

And Silicates are supposed to be beneficial for aluminium protection..and the engine block i believe is an Al unit.

btw, has anyone here used the coolant brands that are used in cars ? Servo ?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Actually silicates are good, but for the short term. Most the coolants are ethylene or propylene based, but the they do contain some trace amount of silicates. Green Coolant is almost a thing of the past on newer cars. What's wrong with green coolant? Well, in a word, nothing! Traditional green coolant is mostly ethylene glycol, silicates, and green dye. Newer coolants have basically the same ingredients, but with orange, red, blue, purple or amber coloring, and without the high level of silicates. Why is the trend moving away from green antifreeze? Longer maintenance cycles. These days we want every thing to last longer.


You see, silicates are good, and offer excellent protection when new, but after two to three years, after they've been used, they start to decompose, form deposits and corrode the system. Timely replacement of the coolant every year to two year or a year if the usage is high, would reap the benefits of silicates plus the cooling system stays good. Yes they do have corrosive tendencies but timely care prevents most of the issue we face.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Hey Guys,

Can you suggest how can we secure our bikes when parked. There was an incident yesterday where couple of guys were trying to steal mine. Luckily, my landlord's wife was alert and she chased the guys away. But, I was wondering if there any sort of security device or locks that guys here use to protect their motorcycles.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

This is the first post! need help urgently as I gonna book bike on PADAWA on 21st March

Is the clutch of RC390 is smooth/easy as compared to duke 390 older?
(I did test drive but feels both same, maybe its problem with test bike)
How much significant is heating and staling in RC390 as comared to Duke?

Thanks in advance !!

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

AFAIK both the rc and the old Duke have the same clutch - so "hardness" should be the same.
Internally RC is the same bike as Duke. So heating and stalling should be similar. However it is not a major issue as you are making it out to be.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

In that case, periodic service chart mentioned in the owner's manual should have made a mention of it. I rather have "less silicate" coolant than risk replacing coolant every few months. Less the A.S.S/mechanics work on the bike better it is.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

^^ same thoughts in my mind. Hence i popped the question here.
One more thing, will changing the ratio harm the engine with regards to corrosion? As water is doing all the cooling, and no snow is falling in mumbai anytime, can i reduce the mixture ratio to 65:35 or 70:30 without affecting the anti corrosion propoerty of coolant?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Completed reading this thread till Page 318 (That's about a one year old). Of course I'm going to complete reading this thread. By now now you must have guessed why. Obviously I'm not planning to buy an Enfield or a Yamaha or a Kawasaki or a Harley Davidson.

I went to the KTM showroom in Navelim Goa and asked for a Test Ride of the 4 KTM's. They said that the RC bikes were to available for test rides, the Duke 200 was at the other showroom and the Duke 390 was undergoing repairs so come next week. Ive been going there for 3 weeks now and it's the same excuse. In fact I was given the same excuse for the Duke 390 even 6 months ago when I had been there for a test ride. Pathetic is not the word for them.
Anyway, I'll most probably be opting for the Duke 390 unless I get an overwhelming response here to pick something else.

What I'm planning to do with the bike:
- Obviously ride it. Just evening rides to the beach and town with a bit of twisting the throttle on the open stretches.
- No long distance touring. Maybe the occasional 100 km ride.
- No racing.

Mods planned:
- Remove the tyre hugger.
- DIY Tail Tidy. Just remove the stock fender and the Pulsar 200NS number plate stays. Is this possible?
- Pulsar 200 NS grips wit the quick throttle mod.
- Apache mirrors.
- Relocate the front number plate to below the headlamp. Is this possible?
- Cigarette lighter socket.
- Yamaha SZR or FZ windshield.
- Subtle mods to the graphics.
- Gel padding for the seat.
- Frame / Fork sliders.
- Brighter headlamp (No HID). Please suggest what bulb to use.
- Extra LED lamps.
- Race Dynamics Powertronic piggyback or a remap. (Please suggest).
- Good Quality Helmet. Nice graphics would be nice. Don't mind spending a bit more on safety gear. (Please suggest).
- Basic riding gear (Jacket, gloves, knee protectors etc). Should be suitable for hot climate (Goa). (Please suggest).
- Anything else? (Please suggest).

Questions:
- Till now whatever I have read of the thread, there seem to be small niggles and quality issues. Have thing improved in the last year?
- Like many of you, my experience with the dealer was not so good. Has KTM done anything about the complaints regarding the dealers?
- The only alternative for the Metzelers are the Pirelli and Michelin. Any other options? I heard that MRF has launched some performance tyres for the 390. Any reviews?
- What's the average life of the engine before it requires a re-build.
- I spend 4 months in India and 4 months abroad. So the bike will remain unused for 4 months. Any issues with that?
- Does the bike have a standard OBD2 port? I would like to connect a Bluetooth adapter to use the Torque Pro App on my mobile.
- How's the new slipper clutch compared to the old one?

My apologies if any of my questions have already been answered in pages 319-577. Thanks in advance.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Guys, please understand that the manufacturer puts in more real time R&D compared to our 'arm chair' research. When in doubt just follow the manual. The manual will specify at what intervals the coolant has to be changed. (I haven't seen any company recommend anything under an year)
The reason why a change is recommended is because the chemical composition of the 'coolant/antifreeze' part of the mix deteriorates over time

Premixed coolants are always almost at least 70% water and concentrated coolants recommend a mix of 2:1 or 3:1 (water:coolant) depending on application (engine type:diesel/petrol/capacity/mettalurgy , external temperatures etc..).
IMO For a motorcycle used in India, a 3:1 ratio should suffice if using concentrate(most car coolant concentrates specify this ratio). Again read the label on the bottle to know the recommended ratio because some might be less 'concentrated' compared to others. A little more water should not cause problems.
Now coming to the water used... I'd advice you to get distilled water from a store that supplies to labs/hospitals, because Ive heard that the distilled water sold at battery shops has some chemical/acid added to it (in a very tiny proportion)

Also you could go over the various data sheets available for coolants, which mention if they contain 'silicates' or if they are free from 'nitrates' 'phosphates' etc.. The data sheet will also mention the boiling point and some other tech data like the standards it confirms to. And remember the boiling point mentioned for the concentrate type will be higher compared to a ready mix, so don't assume a concentrate is 'better' because you will be diluting the concentrate with water and hence its boiling point will eventually reduce.
The radiator uses pressure to increase the boiling point of the coolant mixture.

In an emergency you can use water, but extended use of water could cause water pump failure, corrosion on the engine if the water is 'hard'.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

I was talking about distilled water there. I forgot to mention it. And in our bike, what we get is a 50:50 mixture.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Yes sir, use only water in an emergency (even if its drinking or tap water).. otherwise stick to the recommended coolant.. adding a little water even to a premix is not going to cause any issues. Our bikes are filled up with the castrol radicool which is yes a 50:50 mixture. The ratio could vary from one brand to another, hence read the label on the product and use accordingly.
More adventurous guys could try straight water (distilled, tap, mineral, spring, river), water wetter, bed wetter, engine ice etc ..